Time’s People of the Year

Oh hell yes. I've been expecting to see the President's arrogant smirk on the cover again, or some other nefarious warmaking bastard, or group of them (Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld perhaps?).

Imagine my surprise to see Bill Gates, his Missus and Bono gracing the cover for their work in decreasing third-world debt and battling poverty and disease in Africa.

I appreciate that frequently it is the warmaking bastards who have the most influence on the world in any given year, it's just tough seeing them celebrated. It's much more of a kick to see good acts recognized.

Bill Gates the businessman is a merciless prick (from what I understand), but whatever motives you assign his philanthropic work, there's no denying the good he's trying to do. Mrs. Gates' contribution, with all due respect, seems to extend to having married really, really well.

And Bono… well, Bono gives Christianity a good name. Usually when we hear about Christians, they're bombing abortion clinics, calling for assassinations of world leaders, robbing the sick and the old of their social security checks or belly-aching about how shabbily the tiny minority of non-Christians in this country treat them.

I was just talking to the Missus yesterday about Christians, and how I could only think of three offhand that walk it like Christ talked it. Johnny Cash, my friend The Pilgrim, and Bono.

Kudos to Time for not only getting it right, but recognizing positive works for a change instead of feting the dealers of death and carnage. We'll still be killing brown people and dying in droves in the desert thousands of miles away a year from now - plenty of time to reward Team Bush next year, or the year after.